5 Years Old!!!

I cannot believe it has been five years ago today since Anna Clare was born. Time has passed in the blink of an eye. She is way too grown-up and prissy! She used to blow me a kiss when she got out of the car at school everyday, and now she wants to do it in the car so she won't be embarrassed! How sad! I better just get used to it....I'm sure it will get a lot worse! She has been so excited all day. We are taking her out to eat Mexican after t-ball practice (her choice) so she can load up on cheese dip and wear a big sombrero! Her party was the day before Easter at the gymnastics place. The girls had a great time, and Baby Sister loved having free reign of the gym to get into everything. We had a wonderful Easter. Praise the Lord, He is Risen! After a beach trip for spring break, a birthday party, Easter, my birthday yesterday, and AC's today, we are exhausted! But it has been such a super week!

Love Dolly!

Dolly was Anna Clare's first doll. My friend Katie brought her to the hospital when she was born. We are very original when it comes to naming dolls at our house:) Dolly has now been passed on to Owen and when you say "Love Dolly", she buries her head into her and loves on her. It is too cute! I can't believe how much she is growing and developing! We tell her to "patty cake" and she gives a big grin and starts clapping her hands together. This should all seem very normal to me since it is our 2nd child. But with AC being 4 when Owen was born, I had forgotten so many of the little things. My favorite thing is to sneak into her room when she has woken up and is sitting in her crib playing. As soon as she spots me (or Steve) she grins, stands up in anticipation, and makes you feel like the most needed person in the world. Motherhood is such an indescribable joy! I thank God for how he has blessed me with this wonderful family and pray for His guidance in raising these girls. Looking forward to Easter!

Back on the Plains

Last week I prepared to travel to Auburn for a conference to get some continuing education hours. After a lot of planning for a babysitter, my mom, and Steve (who all pitched in to keep the girls), I drove off late Wednesday afternoon. I had a full tank of gas and plenty of time so I leisurely made my way toward Lee county. I am ashamed to say that before this trip, I had not been back in 5 years. I was pregnant with AC the last time we went for a football game. I have heard how much it has changed, but never dreamed I would have trouble getting there. I realized I had been traveling about 45 minutes past Eufaula and knew I had missed my turn. Boy, did I! I was in Phenix City! Now, it is well past dark, and I'm starting to get a little panicked. I stopped at a gas station and got excellent directions from a sweet elderly man. I finally made my way onto College Street, only about an hour later than I had planned. I was amazed! It has grown and changed so much! I checked into the hotel I was sharing with my very good friend from Birmingham, and started feeling really excited about my mini-vacation (even though I had to listen to speakers all day for 2 days). My friend and I met my college roommate (who lives in Auburn) for dinner and had a great time catching up. Even downtown looks a lot different. Her husband, who is the biggest Auburn fan I know, says it is a crime that I haven't been back in so long! The next day, my poor friend that I was rooming with came down with a stomach virus! She was so pitiful! She had to spend the afternoon stuck in that awful hotel room as sick as a dog! Her baby had it 2 days before, and she almost had to cancel her trip. I felt sorry for her, but seeing how there wasn't much I could do except hang around and catch it myself, I met my Auburn friend and another college roommate from Montgomery at Amsterdam Cafe (one of our old favorites). These are 2 of my best friends from college and we never get to see each other. We talk on the phone and exhange Chritmas cards and emails, but it was so nice to get to visit. We had the best time! The next morning my friend was feeling better only to call home and learn that her husband now had the virus! Needless to say, I never got it (Praise the Lord)! We parted ways that afternoon and promised to do it again next year. Perhaps the best part of my trip was coming home to my family that I couldn't wait to see and to a clean house with ALL the laundry done! (yes, all of it - thanks Mr. Mom). I promised myself I would not wait another 5 years to get back to Auburn!

A Date With Daddy

Anna Clare went on a date with her daddy to a father/daughter banquet. They had a great time. She was so excited that she had him practice dancing with her for 2 nights prior. I filmed them dancing around the kitchen and it was the cutest thing. I decided at the last minute to roll her hair but dummy me rolled it wet in sponge rollers and tried to blow it dry in rollers. Needless to say this did not work. But it turned out pretty anyway. Then I get out the dress she's supposed to wear and it had one of those tags on it that must be taken off in the store or else it will tear up the dress. So, they are supposed to be leaving in like 30 minutes and we are down to two other options. Her Easter dress for this year, which I REALLY did not want her to wear...I could just see her getting ketchup on it. Or the dress she wore for her portrait, which is sleveless and bordering on too short. After trying to cram her little foot into her ecru church shoes, I realized she had outgown them. Despite all this, I was determined she was not wearing her Easter dress. So I run to the neighbors to borrow her little girls shoes and decide if her dress is a little short, it's all daddys there anyway and are they really going to notice? After all that drama, they had a ball. Steve told me after we got married that we would probably have a whole "cheerleading squad" one day, and with 2 girls, we are on our way. But he is such a great father for little girls. He fixes hair better than I do (and he actually fixed it for the banquet). He is crazy about his little girls and we are so blessed to have him! By the way, the last picture is the picky eater fixing herself a peanut butter and honey sandwich when they got home because she wouldn't eat anything at the banquet! Notice the "kiara" that she is sporting from their date (I thought that was so cute that I didn't have the heart to tell her it is a "tiara")!

Where does the time go?

I can't believe our little one is 9 months old today! The time has flown by. She is all over the place and I can hardly keep up with her. Why is it that you can put a pile of toys in front of a baby and when you turn your head they are going for the lamp cords? She is also attracted to fireplaces and stairs. And we had to install those annoying little cabinet locks. But her big sister makes a great babysitter. We enjoyed the weekend (especially getting to visit with my sister who was home from college). Thanks for the help with the ipod, E. We are also trying to avoid the flu and recovering from croup. Her mouth is better, too. (If you click on the picture of the girls with my sister, you can see her pitiful red mouth). Thanks for my Valentines date, ST. You always know the best places for dinner and good entertainment! Have a great week everyone, and Happy Birthday, baby girl! We love you!

Not your typical Valentine's Day

Was yesterday Valentine's Day? I almost missed it. Things were a little crazy around here. Thankfully God prepared me for what would be kind of a rough night Wednesday night. For some odd reason, all four of us were asleep by 9:00, which is very unusual. I was sleeping great until a little 8 month old popped up in her crib at 2:00am. We have a video monitor in our room and I watched to see if she would go back to sleep. She always sleeps through the night but has had a cold so I was keeping an eye on her. After changing her diaper and putting her back down, I was wide awake. I tried to go back to sleep but she continued to fuss so I did something I never do. Anna Clare had long since found her way into our bed so I got Owen up and we got in AC's bed. Then I noticed that she had a big red circle "burn" around her mouth from where the pacifier had rubbed her little skin raw. I woke Steve up (4am) and asked him if he wanted to come look at her mouth b/c I was afraid it was a reaction of some sort. What was I thinking? He rolled over and mumbled, "I'm sure she's fine." She slept on and off for the next few hours, but needless to say, I did not. I even saw the reflection of the newspaper delivery man's hazard lights as he delivered our paper at 3:47 am. Anyway, about 6:30, she starts coughing, which actually sounded more like a dog barking. So I'm thinking croupe, pneumonia, what? I throw on some clothes and head out the door with her at 7:15 in the freezing cold to the doctor's office. Diagnosis: The sweet little thing has bronchitis/croup and a pacifier burn to go with it. She looked so pitiful! Steve meets me in the parking lot with AC (still in her p.j.s ) so he can get to work. So we spent the day trying to get well. Steve came home for lunch so I could run to Walmart (still no shower) and get a few things...I was there and back in 30 minutes which is a record! AC went to the neighbors for a while after lunch so I was able to nap for an hour, which was a life saver (nap took priority over shower). I tried to exercise on the elliptical but only got 20 minutes in before Owen was screaming again. Oh well, I tried. So Steve comes home from work and I still have had no shower and no thoughts about supper. Happy Valentine's Day, honey! (not that it mattered to my Valentine - he would've been happy with a pb&j). I passed off the sick one and finally got a shower and threw some leftovers together for supper. We exchanged cards, promises for a date night SOON, and laughed about how having children makes Valentine's Day a little different. But we love each other more each year and wouldn't have it any other way!

P.S. I managed to remain fairly joyful despite the circumstances, and we will definitely be having take out tonight!!! (I would have posted pictures, but they would not have been pretty)

Joy! Joy! Joy!

Anna Clare had to dress up like a shepherd for school the other day, and as I took this picture, I was reminded of a verse we recently discussed in Bible study. Isaiah 40:11 says, " He tends his flock like a shepherd; He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young." For a group full of young moms,the part about guiding those that have young really hit home in a mighty way! It was so refreshing to know that God is actually guiding us as mothers!

Now, on to the joy part. Steve and I have always given something up for Lent, but this year I kept putting off thinking about what I wanted to (actually needed to ) sacrifice. I've done chocolate, carbonated drinks, secular music, but had not really had a "feeling" about anything this year. Well, a friend of mine recently challenged the readers of her blog to be the "most positive, joyful person you know." I don't think of myself as a negative person, but that really struck a chord with me. As I thought about this while trying to fall asleep on the night of Ash Wed., I thought, "I want to be the most positive, joyful person I know!" So, I am attempting to give up negativity for Lent (and hopefully beyond Lent to the best of my ability). Due to human nature, I know I will falter, but to my family and friends, please keep me accountable! I am a very impatient person, and I think that often steals my joy. So I am definitely going to be working on being more positive and more patient. Be Joyful!!!

By the way, see the little one in the corner of the picture who didn't want to miss out on the photo op?